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<h1> Astronomy Picture of the Day </h1>
<p>

<a href="archivepix.html">Discover the cosmos!</a>
Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is
featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer.
<p>

2011 January 16 
<br>
<iframe width="1280" height="720" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/TLJiXAnHkGg?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
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<b> Zodiacal Light and the False Dawn </b> <br> 
<b> Image Credit & Copyright: </b>
<a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/113638702638202116204"
>Nilesh Vayada</a> & <a href=
"http://www.twanight.org/newTWAN/photographers_about.asp?photographer=Ajay%20Talwar">Ajay Talwar</a> 
(<a href="http://www.twanight.org/">TWAN</a>)

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<p>

<b> Explanation: </b>
Is it dawn or false dawn?

During certain times of the year, the horizon near the
<a href="ap111010.html">rising Sun</a> will begin to glow unusually early.

This early glow does not originate directly from the Sun,
but rather from sunlight reflected by
<a href="ap010813.html">interplanetary dust</a>.

Called
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zodiacal_light">zodiacal light</a>,
the
<a href="ap070925.html">glowing triangle</a> of light may be mistaken, for a while, for a sunrise, and so may be called a false dawn.

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TLJiXAnHkGg"
>Pictured above</a>, two false dawns were recorded in time lapse movies each spanning about five hours from the perch of the
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_Astronomical_Observatory"
>highest observatory</a> in the world: <a href="
http://www.webcamgalore.com/EN/webcam/India/Mount-Saraswati/1904.html">Mount Saraswati</a> near
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanle_(village)">Hanle</a>,
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/India">India</a>.

At its brightest, the rising
<a href="ap100913.html">zodiacal triangle</a> on the left glows brighter than even the central disk of our Milky Way Galaxy --
<a href="ap110730.html">visible</a> as the diagonal
<a href="ap110710.html">band</a> moving left to right across the frame.


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<b> Tomorrow's picture: </b>head witch

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<b> Authors & editors: </b>
<a href="http://www.phy.mtu.edu/faculty/Nemiroff.html">Robert Nemiroff</a>
(<a href="http://www.phy.mtu.edu/">MTU</a>) &
<a href="http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/htmltest/jbonnell/www/bonnell.html"
>Jerry Bonnell</a> (<a href="http://www.astro.umd.edu/">UMCP</a>)<br>
<b>NASA Official: </b> Phillip Newman
<a href="lib/about_apod.html#srapply">Specific rights apply</a>.<br>
<a href="http://www.nasa.gov/about/highlights/HP_Privacy.html">NASA Web
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<a href="http://www.nasa.gov/">NASA</a> /
<a href="http://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/">GSFC</a>
<br><b>&</b> <a href="http://www.mtu.edu/">Michigan Tech. U.</a><br>
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